Juvenile Court

Since its inception in 1976, the objectives of the Child Responsibility Project have been twofold: to provide meaningful work experience for youth offenders while teaching them accountability for their actions and the consequences of delinquent acts that result in property damage, property loss or personal injury. The Child Responsibility Project offers young offenders the opportunity to literally “pay” for their crimes. By performing activities at minimum wage, the youths pay up to $600 in restitution to the victims of their crime. The youths receive no money and the County Fiscal Office forwards a check to the victims when the work assignment is completed. The Child Responsibility Project also has a community service component for youths found guilty of similar offenses but the victims do not seek restitution. Youths aged 12 to 17 are the target group for this project and no youth can be referred to the project more than three times.